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'UNITED HENRY B. BOURNE, on NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-PRESERVER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 1,596, dated May 8, 1840.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY BLAKE BoUnNE, of the city of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful arrangement for the purpose of converting the mattress or mattresses of ships, steamboats, and all passage vessels into a preserver of life and property; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description.

The nature of my invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and adaptation of the common berth mattresses now in use into a life and property preserver.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

I take a common berth mattress (hair or spring), measuring generally some six feet in length, two feet four inches in breadth, and about six inches in depth, and intersect it in the narrow sides. I then remove the hair, or whatever it is stuffed with, and cover the surface of each open half with common ticking, or any other fabric, forming two separate mattresses. I make two waterproof chambers, of the length and depth of each half mattress, and about or of their breadth, and stuff them with broken cork, or with hair, or whatever occupied the ame place before, or with a mixture of hair and cork, and insert one lengthwise into each half mattress, against one of its longitudinal edges, replacing the remainder of the stuffing into the other part of each half mattress, and sew them up, thus forming two separate mattresses, stuffed as before, with a part of each waterproof and buoyant. A double bladed oar is secured on one of the edges of one half mattress, and two shoulder straps, on one of the edges of both half mattresses. I then form a separate waterproof chamber or inclosure, having two sides of corresponding area with the broad surfaces of the mattresses, or less, and I join the upper and lower longitudinal edges by a diamond shaped slip of waterproof cloth. In the center of one of the slips is an aperture, with a band around it and a running string, and to the other two waterproof leggings are attached. There is a slip about two inches wide projecting over the longitudinal edges circumscribing the two diamond shaped slips, to which the half mattresses (the waterproof inclosure being laid between them) are buttoned, sewn, or anywise fastened.

The operation may be as fOllOWSLWllBIL used as a mattress to sleep upon, the leggings are laid underneath, the oar and straps lying against either side of the berth,

and it then differs in no respect from those in present use; but on an emergency the tenantof the berth thus provided takes the article out, places in the waterproof inclo- 1 sure through the aperture whatever valuables he may desire or have time to preserve, papers, moneys, clothes, and pro- He then puts his feet into the leggings, draws the string visions for many days.

around the aperture close around'his chest, and by placing his arms under the shoulder straps he is enabled by the leggings to go on deck and jump overboard. hen in the water he can use the oar attached to navigate with. The depth of the mattresses will protect hi Vitals, and, when on shore, the leggings again enable him to retreat'beyond the reach of the returning wave.

The article, if preserved, will answeras such again, being capable of all necessary repairs.

What I claim asmy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of adapting the common 

